Improvement in coal-oil lanterns



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S. SARGENT, OF ATERTOWN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND A. P. KNAPP, OFNEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN COAL-O IL LANTERNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,352, dated September1 1861.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, S. SARGENT, of Water town, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and ImprovedLantern for Burning Coal-Oils and other Oils Containing a LargeProportion of Carbon; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification Figure 1 beinga side elevation of the lantern complete; Fig. 2, a central verticalsection thereof; Fig. 3, a transverse section of thelantern-body in theplane indicated by the line 00 m, Fig. 1; Fig. 4:, a plan of the lampdetached; Fig. 5, a transverse section of the 1antern-body,lo0kingupward in the plane indicated by the line y y, Fig. 1.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

As in constructing lamps for burning the particular oils referred to inthis specification the great difficulties to overcome arise from thenecessity of a large, even, and uninterrupted 'suppl y of oxygen to theburner, which difficulties are increased when the lamps are designed tobe portable on account of the necessary derangements of the supply ofair in the draft, by unsteadiness of motion, and subjecting the lampsmore to sudden blasts of air, so in constructing lanterns for burningthese oils all the difficulties named are rather increased thandiminished, and the additional difficulties arising from the Q use ofthe lantern body or case and holding the whole beneath the hand arerequired to eral construction of the lamp D may also be of any style orplan desirable, and the burner S may be provided with the most efficientimprovements for burning the oils. A chimney E is also employed, beingdirectly within the glass globe A. The lamp-base b fits closely withinthe base B of the lantern-body, and it is confined therein by twospring-catches c 0,

out through the base B of the lantern-body when the lamp is insertedtherein, so that its head f may be turned with as perfect readiness asthat of a simple lamp but in order to allow this extension of the shaftLout through the lantern-body provision must be made for reaching theaperture which it occupies in the lantern-body when inserting the lamp,and for withdrawing. it from said aperture when the lampis taken out ofthelantern-body, and the side of the lantern-body must also be keptclosed, so as not to disturb the draft to the burner. To accomplishthese purposes I form a vertical slotd in the side of the lantern-bodyBwide enough to admit the shaftL and reaching from the bottom of thelantern-body to the necessary height. A larger opening g, Fig. 2, isalso made in the foot a of the lantern to allow the passage of the headf of the shaft L up and down. This slot allows the free insertion andwithdrawl of the shaft L. To close this slot after the insertion of saidshaft I employ a plate M, which fits closely upon the base B and slidesbetween lips h 72-, so that it may readily be shut over the slot d, asshown by black lines, or be moved away therefrom, as shown by red linesin Fig. 1. Thus the whole purpose intended is perfectly accomplished.The draft to the lamp-burner is ordinarily admitted through holes Z Z inthe sides or periphery of the base B of the lantern body, so that theordinary motion in walking will not impede the progress of the air intothe lantern; but when the lantern is suddenly lowered, the foot athereof interrupts the steady flow of the air through the holes Z Z, andfor the moment would cause the lamp to smoke, unless some provision weremade to prevent it. To accomplish this Iperforate the flase-flangeb ofthe lamp with small apertures M, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4. Theseapertures admit air from below the lamp, where'its flow is ratherincreased than impeded by the sudden descent of the lantern.

It may be remarked here that to properly regulate the flow of air to theburner, and to gusts of wind some provision is required to secure theequilibrium of draft on all sides. The next part of my improvement hasthis purpose for its object. I employseveral vertical division-plates NN, secured radially to the inside of the periphery of the base B, so

astodivide the draft-space between this base and the lamp-body D into asmany distinct compartments, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

This simple device keeps the draft divided,

' directs the separate portions straight upward, and prevents an undueaccumulation or pressure of air on either side by eddies thereof or byblasts of wind. Instead of attaching the division-plates N N to thebase-B of the lantern-body, they might be attached 7 to the lamp-body D.

Another part of my improvement consists in the employment of ahorizontal plate P, extending outward from the lamp-burner S just abovethe perforations therein, which admit the air to the flame inside whenconstructed and operating as hereinafter set forth. The construction anduse of this plate will be understood after explaining the action of thedraft-air inside of the lantern.-

The main portion of the air admitted into the base of the lantern is tosupport the combustion of the oil at the burner, but another portion isintended to proceed directly upward into the glass globeA, outside ofthe chimney E, the use of which circulation of air may be. said to be tokeep the lantern as cool as possible'and to facilitate the clearing ofthe draft at the top of the lantern, and by consequence to increase itsefliciency. Another uselof' this passage of air is to furnish a sort ofregulator against atoo great sudden supply of air to the burner itselfbyaffording an outlet to an; undue supply thereof. To elfect these desiredresults there is a space a, Fig. 2, left outside of thepl'ate P to allowa regular circulation of the air outside of the chimney E. Theplate P"is also perforated with fine holes, as seen most clearly at m, Fig. 4,so that as it arrests sufiicient air passing upward tosupply theburnerits perforations prevent a sudden overaccumulation and pressure ofair from a toogreat: supply thereof from below by allowing the. excessto-quickly escape upward into the globeof the lantern. The devicetherefore may be termed the draft-governor. A

thin plate'l of metal is located just above the draft-escape apertures 00, and at the bottom of the convex cap Q of the lantern. It does notquite cover the Whole top of the lantern; but there is a narrow annularspace 19, Fig. 2, around its edge, so as to allow a circulation of thedraft-air above it in the cap Q and escape therefrom, and therebyprevent heating the air therein very hot. At the same time thisshield-plate produces all the good effect of interposing anon-conducting space to prevent the conduction of undue heat upward. Theplate T may be attached to the lantern-top C by narrow supportingstripsr r, so as to close as little of the space 17 as may be.

Another part of my improvement consists in the employment of aguard-cylinder"or annular plate R around the top 0 of the lan tern, andoutside of the draft-escape apertures 0 0, leaving a space between itand the lantern-top of, say, a fourth of an inch in thickness all round,open at the bottom, as at s, Fig. 2, and terminating in perforations t6, Figs. 2 and 5, at the top, through the flange by which theguard-cylinder is attached to the lantern-top. complishes several usefulpurposes. First,it affords a shield or guard to the draft-escapeapertures 0 0 to prevent gusts of air impeding the escape of the draft.It likewise assists the draft by furnishing a circulation of air upwardin the space between it and the lantern-top, and producing thereby anexhaustive action upon the lantern-draft. Finally, by mingling coldoutward air with the escaping hot air of the draft, it reduces the sameto a temperature low enough not to discommode the hand above by whichthe lantern is carried.

Another part of my improvement isa draftcollector consisting of anannular ,band or cylinder 24, secured to the foot a of the lantern, butopen at the top and reaching upward about as high as the upperdraft-apertures Z Z, substantially as shown, leaving a space between itand the base of the lantern for the free admission of air to-thesaiddraftholes. The object of this is to collect sufficient air on a suddenraisingof the lantern to continue a sufficient draft through the holes ZZ for the moment, and thus prevent smoking from such a movement.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,i's

The arrangement and combination of the device for enabling the wick tobe regulated outside of the lantern, the perforations z 2' in thebase-flange of the lamp D, the draft-collectoru, division-plates N N,perforated regulating-plate P, and guard-cylinderR, in the manner andfor the purposes herein specified.

S. SARGENT. Witnesses:

JOHN B. GoonRroH,

J. N. SMITH.

This cylinder or plate ac--

